Power2010: 4 Days Left
There are now just four days left in the Power2010 online poll, and I’m sorry to report that Unlock Democracy and the Campaign for the English Region’s appeals to their members and supporters have had the desired effect of knocking English Votes on English Laws out of the top five reforms.
No sweat, you might think. But you’d be wrong. It is important that English Votes on English Laws remains in the Power2010 top five and becomes part of the Power2010 pledge. Because if it is part of the Power2010 Pledge then Power2010, and their influential partners, will lobby every prospective MP prior to the general election to sign up to the pledge.
If EVoEL is not included on the Power2010 Pledge then it will be used as a progressives charter to endorse every candidate that agrees with Charter88/Helena Kennedy/Power. However, if English Votes on English Laws is included then it forces all those people concerned with constitutional reform (including Power and Unlock Democracy – groups who have always willfully ignored the English Question) to turn their attention to the English Question. They know as well as we do that English Votes on English Laws will not work.
The fact is that we HAVE to get the issue of English governance onto the political agenda before the General Election because it may be too late to do it after the General Election. Power2010 is a good a way of achieving this.
The alternative is to sit back and allow the incoming Cameron government to introduce their watered-down version of English Votes on English Laws (which is a procedural change and requires no legislation) without any discussion.
We need to try and force a debate on this, and that’s why I have voted for English Votes on English Laws. I encourage you to do the same, and ask that you encourage all your friends to do likewise.
Further Reading
The Devil’s Kitchen: Power2010 (contains swearing)
England is a pseudo-democracy | Comment is free
Britons! Vote for England! | openDemocracy
Scottish Votes on English Laws | English Parliament online
Ana the Imp: English Votes on English Laws
Cranmer: Power 2010 – English votes for English laws
Vote EVoEL! « Britology Watch: Deconstructing ‘British Values’
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Unlock Democracy and CFER may have managed to move EVoEL’s to 6th place but given that CFER wants regional government for England they have not come out of it very well!
February 18th, 2010 at 10:49 pmThe closest reform to regionalism is ‘Stronger local Government’ at number 10. Regional government is nowhere to be seen.
EVoEL’s is the most popular choice when it comes to government in England. So if Cameron dumps EVoEL’s , what is his answer to the West Lothian Question?
Cameron doesn’t have an answer to the West Lothian Question. No one who opposes an English parliament does.
February 18th, 2010 at 11:01 pmMy Son is doing all he can on FaceBook to garner support. I have contacted all my rellies – even my Scottish B in L…and urged them to vote…
I had a butchers at the reasons as exactly why Unlock Democracy are so against EVoEL….. God, arrogance personified or what?
I was moved to post this comment – which is still awaiting moderation a full three days after I put it up – no doubt it will be OK’d just after the Power2010 window closes..
Sir –
‘How very democratic of you to pronounce that EVoEL is not worthy of your support. That somehow, it is just not democratic enough for you to be bothered with…
Whilst EVoEL is not perfect (and it’s not) – it AT LEAST gets the fundamental issue out there. Continued democratic emasculation for the people of England is an absolute disgrace – and your tacit support of the continuing status quo frankly makes me sick.
During Phase 1 of Power2010’s public consultation the top, most popular demand was for the restoration of an English Parliament. However, Phase 2 put paid to that. It was talked out and EVoEL has been morphed in its stead. That was a shameful act of manipulation in itself – and your failure to support the new amendment, even in its vastly diluted form is just so pathetic.
Sure, England is far too centralised – but shouldn’t it be up to the people of England to decide what system of decentralisation best fits the national model? And wouldn’t that imperative be best served by a directly elected national chamber – debated and decided upon by the people of England’s directly elected representatives?
I believe the concept is called ‘democracy’.
But then again, I’m just an ordinary English bloke, so what do I know? All I will say is I am totally fed up to the back teeth at seeing my country of England continuing to be the only country in Europe without a national parliament of its own. Fed up with our pathetically unhinged devolution settlement, our politically skewed funding arrangements courtesy of the Barnett Formula CeltGelt – oh and fed up with watching Gordon Brown – unable as he is to order a lean-to conservatory to be built in his own constituency – but merrily carries on building 3 million extra houses, runways galore and dozens of nuclear power stations all over England……. because we can.
And as regard to ‘Unlocking Democracy’? What a joke that is. You people are nothing but status quoers – and just like the ageing rock band, you’re just a three chord trick.
I do hope you feel suitably ashamed of yourselves’.
February 19th, 2010 at 3:26 pmThanks Alfie, I sent out some more emails last night, so fingers crossed it will be in the top five again sometime tonight.
It would help if the English Democrats got behind it, or at least stopped going around telling their supporters not to vote for it. I get the feeling that only half the English parliament lobby is voting for this at present.
What harm can it do, really? The Tories are going to introduce a watered-down version irrespective of Power2010, so let’s use Power2010 to get a public debate started on this!
February 19th, 2010 at 3:31 pmI agree Toque. I don’t much like EVoEL – but I do recognise the import of getting the issue into the mainstream – and of the glorious potential to embarrass our political elite. It is vitally important that the issue of English democracy is encouraged – and that will only happen if it is ‘out there’..
I really do wish that some English nationalists would be just a bit more pragmatic – and realise that it’s a chip, chip, chipping exercise rather than a revolution…
February 19th, 2010 at 5:49 pmUp to 4th place now!
February 19th, 2010 at 8:22 pmI’ve read your argument above and despite the fact i will only be satisfied when we achieve an English Parliament.
February 20th, 2010 at 2:56 pmDespite the fact when Power 2010 ‘removed’ the English Parliament option i contacted them and told them i thought they were a New Labour puppet organisation.
I have decided to ‘support’ EvoEL. To try, as you say, to get the English question in the debate.
I hope i’ve done the right thing!
Thanks Daggs, you have done the right thing (or if you haven’t you at least haven’t done anything wrong).
February 20th, 2010 at 3:11 pmIn the event that EVoELs does make the final top 5, it will be interesting to see what POWER do with it. It will probably be quietly ‘lost’!
February 20th, 2010 at 6:16 pmIt did make the Top 5, in fact it made the Top 4!
So Pam Giddy issued a PR stating “The next phase of the campaign will see voters asked to commit their support to a majority of the proposals – at least three – and then challenge every candidate at the next general election to support them too.”
That’s right THREE has suddenly crept into their wording. THREE!…(and EVoEL came 4th, well what a bloody coincidence!)
As Pam said elsewhere in her PR “…it’s time to fix our political system, not fiddle it.”
If you’re about to do what I think you’re about to do Pam, I’d put your own house in order first and not FIDDLE IT!
February 24th, 2010 at 1:58 amTerry have you got a link to Pam Giddy’s PR?
February 24th, 2010 at 7:59 pmtry this…
http://www.englishparliament.net/content/power2010-press-release-mass-public-vote-identifies-peoples-priorities-change-politics
February 24th, 2010 at 8:17 pmTerry I think she means that in order to sign the pledge (!) you need to support at least 3 of the ideas.
She does write this:
“4. Allow only English MPs to vote on English laws – this will make a lot of liberals balk no doubt, but it has been a running sore at the heart of the system for too long. The English Question must be addressed honestly and openly”.
http://www.leftfootforward.org/2010/02/power-2010-electoral-reform-top-pops/
‘The English Question must be addressed openly and honestly’. That’s a promising start!
February 25th, 2010 at 1:53 pmHi Derek.
You have to look at what Power2010 says VERY CAREFULLY. They will be asking parties “to support at least three”… not agree with 3 and sign up to 5.
I assumed, in my naevity, that Power2010 had intended “fix” the problem of the people disengaging with politics.
I actually believed they intended to seek root and branch opinion. Then take the top 5 most popular proposals (no matter how “surprising”) to the political establishment in the form of a Pledge, which they’d be asked to “sign up to”.
If I’d known in the beginning (ie if they’d stated their intent upfront) that they would take the Pledge and ask the establishment to pick “at least three” measures that they already agreed with, I wouldn’t have bothered.
The whole exercise was a waste of time at best, and a fiddle at worst.
February 27th, 2010 at 3:39 pm